Zebpay Enables In-Wallet Mobile Payments With Bitcoin

More and more Bitcoin companies are looking for ways to expand their capabilities for various services. Integrating Bitcoin into the spending habits of everyday consumers is a key element to push virtual currency adoption to new levels. Bitcoin wallet provider Zebpay introduced a new feature that will let users pay their mobile plans directly from the wallet.

Zebpay – More Than Just A Bitcoin Wallet

One area of product that nearly every Bitcoin user comes in touch with is paying a mobile service bill. Regardless of whether the mobile plan is prepaid or postpaid, being able to pay for it with Bitcoin would be a major step forward for most everyday consumers. Mobile Vikings, a mobile MVNO active in Belgium, The Netherlands and Poland, has been accepting Bitcoin payments directly for quite some time now.

Bitcoin wallet provider Zebpay has been working on bringing additional features to their platform for awhile. The first of those features will allow Zebpay users to pay their mobile plan bills with Bitcoin. Albeit, this feature is limited to just a handful of providers right now, the company is in talks with other services to work out a deal.

Right now, Bitcoin payments can be used for the following mobile plans and providers: Vodafone, AirtelBSE, Uninor, Tata Docomo,Reliance, BSNL and MTNL, and DTH of Tata Sky, Reliance, Dish and Sun TV. Additionally, the Zebpay application is only available to Android users (at the time of publication), but the company expects to see its iOS application approved in the next few weeks.

As you would company to expect, all of the supported mobile service providers are paid directly in rupees, after Zebpay collects the funds in BTC through their application. That is only normal, as Zebpay is the most popular place for Bitcoin enthusiasts in India to buy virtual currency. By using cold wallets secured with multisignature verification, Zebpay is profiling itself as an industry leader in this market.

While the mobile plan payment feature is only limited to India (for now), the Bitcoin wallet provider provides an additional service to customers in both India and the US. Zebpay’s application includes special deals for buying airtime and shopping vouchers, a feature that is being received well in both countries so far. Plus, there’s the added benefit of linking a mobile number to a wallet, making the transfer of money as easy and convenient as sending an SMS.

The Zebpay mobile Bitcoin wallet has been download over 100,000 times so far and received an average 4.3-star rating on the Google Play Store. For a more detailed review of the Zebpay mobile Bitcoin wallet, check out this article. Bitcoin enthusiasts hope to see international features and support added in the future.

Bitcoin Wallet Providers Switching Business Models?

This decision made by the Zebpay team comes at a time in which mobile Bitcoin wallet providers have to start thinking about changing their business model. Developing a mobile Bitcoin wallet without additional features is not enough, as these companies also bear the responsibility to make it easier for customers to spend virtual currency.

It will be interesting to see whether this new features in the Zebpay Bitcoin wallet will be a success or not. At least this company is trying to come up with creative and alternative ways to let users spend Bitcoins, rather than just store them. Hopefully, other Bitcoin wallet developers will follow Zebpay’s example.

About JP Buntinx

JP Buntinx is a freelance writer active in the world of financial technologies. His work can be found all over the internet, and a complete portfolio is available at http://www.jpbuntinx.com. JP Is always open to new challenges and ideas.